Ukraine will “never cede” the occupied territories to Russia

[noumoe]

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday evening that Ukraine will “never cede” the occupied territories to Russia while expressing doubts about the Trump-led efforts to bring peace and suggesting the President is being deceived by Vladimir Putin.

Speaking to the French paper Le Figaro ahead of yet another summit in Paris, Zelensky once again appears to have been emboldened by European allies as they expressed a hardline position towards Moscow in the ongoing U.S.-led negotiations.

“One thing is certain: we will never cede our occupied territories to Russia. These lands belong to the Ukrainians,” Zelensky said.

“When will we get them back? Probably not right away. This may have to be done diplomatically. Diplomacy causes fewer victims,” he added.

Since the 2022 invasion, Russia has seized most of the territories in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, in addition to having taken over Crimea in 2014.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/0 ... out-putin/